Camp Immerses Youths in Science and University Life

A team of three high school students, including freshman Kevin Mondy Jr., won the robotics competition.

Two dozen middle and high school kids recently visited UT Dallas for an immersive college experience aimed at cultivating their interests in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

From June 3-6, UT Dallas, with sponsor Time Warner Cable and community partner Project Still I Rise Inc., hosted the Urban STEM Initiative Camp, which served unrepresented male students from urban areas.

Campers slept in the residence halls and ate in the dining hall to get a feel for what college life might be like. Time Warner Cable provided backpacks, calculators, t-shirts and other items to enhance the campers’ experience on campus.

During the camp, the visitors were divided into teams and participated in workshops and pre-college seminars on financial aid, the college application process, scholarships and college life. Students also competed against one another with daily challenges in mathematics and robotics.

“With the advent of technology and globalization in the new millennium, it’s important for students to have an educational foundation that prepares them to compete in the modern economy,” said Arthur Gregg, assistant vice president for multicultural affairs and director of the Multicultural Center.

The teams of three were given the task to build their own self-programmed robots and then battle their inventions against one another.

“The sensors worked better where we positioned them, and that led to better attacks,” said high school freshman Kevin Mondy Jr., whose team won the competition.

Justin Mullin (left) and Oshe Mazin (right) spent three days at UT Dallas to learn about college life and improve their skills in math and science.

In the new Science Learning Center (SLC), campers also were exposed to positive images of professional engineers as representatives from Rockwell Collins spoke about their roles as systems engineers.

“This is all new to me. I want to be a civil engineer, so it’s different and interesting to hear about other areas in the field,” said Oshe Mazin, a senior from Red Oak High School.

“We’re grateful for our premier camp sponsor Time Warner Cable and for sponsor Rockwell Collins. The Urban STEM Camp has been a great opportunity - we were so proud to have these awesome young men on campus,” added Gregg.